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15 sci-fi movies you need to watch before they leave Netflix next month

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Summer is almost over, and with it, another batch of classic science fiction films are leaving Netflix. Maybe forever. Here are 15 sci-fi, horror, and action movies you need to watch before they vanish from the streaming service.

Starship Troopers

Leaving 9/30

This 1997 movie is the perfect one-off space allegory. Combining a fascination with modern technology with a just-barely-veiled racism metaphor, Starship Troopers creates a rich world of deadly bugs and fascist humans.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Leaving 9/28

This horror satire follows a group of college kids who are convinced that a couple of harmless hillbillies (Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine) are murderers. Filled with gore and a few scares, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil subverts scary movie tropes in a surprisingly thoughtful way.

The Devil’s Advocate

Leaving 9/30

What if the devil existed and he was a high-powered lawyer? That’s the premise for this delightfully absurd thriller starring Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and Al Pacino. Can you guess who plays the devil?

The Witch

Leaving 9/16

This 2015 psychological spookfest has as many ties into how folklore shapes our culture as it does pure scares. It’s the kind of slow-building horror that will keep you on edge before a shocking ending.

Jurassic Park 1, 2, and 3

Leaving 9/30

The 1993 classic has everything: stunning set pieces, endearing characters, white-knuckle action, and goofy deaths. The special effects haven’t aged a day. The sequels can’t match it, but they’re better than you remember.

The Grandmaster

Leaving 9/26

In contrast to Donnie Yen's blockbuster biopics, Wong Kar-wai's 2013 epic The Grandmaster brings Bruce Lee's master, Ip Man, into awards season territory. Tony Leung, who will soon join the Marvel Universe in 2021's Shang-Chi, stars as Ip Man.

Terminator 3 & 4

Leaving 9/30

The most recent Terminator rewrote the timeline to wipe these sequels from canon, but they’re still worth watching. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines introduces another killer robot in T-X while Terminator Salvation stars Christian Bale as John Connor.

2012

Leaving 9/30

Peak noughties in every conceivable way, 2012 is the perfect accompaniment to an evening of online shopping. Also, it’s about megatsunamis, which are way bigger than ordinary tsunamis.

Mortal Kombat

Leaving 9/30

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Mortal Kombat remains a martial arts romp that got the rare Hollywood treatment. That it faithfully adapted the popular video game makes it all the sweeter.

The Forgotten

Leaving 9/10

This forgotten Julianne Moore film is a trippy psychological thriller that will make you question the nature of memory and reality. Charged with emotional performances, the creepy premise is mysterious and intriguing enough to keep you hooked until the end.

The Social Network

Leaving 9/30

Controversial at the time, David Fincher’s 2010 Facebook origin story has only become more horrifying in retrospect. Jesse Eisenberg’s career-defining performance as Mark Zuckerberg reveals profound truths before the rest of us figured them out.

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